Man of the World magazine

“A handbook for the modern man.” This is how Man of the World touts itself – as forthright as a good handshake and as straight-up as the drink a man who reads this magazine would order.

The New York-based quarterly should, in the words of founder Alan Maleh, “inspire you to step outside your comfort zone and swing for the cheap seats.” Issue 7 does just that, whether profiling actors (and cover models) Jake Gyllenhaal and Scott Eastwood, digging into the archives of the late Dennis Hopper, paying homage to the Omega Speedmaster Professional or reminiscing about building bikes in Brooklyn’s scrappy Bushwick neighborhood.

We asked founder Alan Maleh to share some behind-the-scenes highlights of running a magazine like Man of the World.

Year launched 2012Home base NYC
Number of issues to date 7
Number of issues per year 4

Man of the World founder Alan Maleh.

Why did you start Man of the World?We launched to fill a gap on the newsstand. I’ve always been an avid magazine reader, but hadn’t come across a men’s magazine that really spoke to the way a certain kind of guy lives his life today. It’s a pretty specific niche, but an interesting and influential one. We try to curate surprising and exceptional things across different categories – from adventure to architecture – and introduce new voices to the conversation. We also have substantive discussions with inspiring guys who’ve strived for greatness, whether it’s Tom Wolfe, Robert Longo or the free surfer Keith Malloy.Hopefully we’re helping guys discover ways to improve their own lives, whether it’s an author they should be reading, or an artist whose work we dig. We always want to stay relevant but aren’t afraid of looking at the past for stories, or talking about things that aren’t popular.

What is a signature MOTW article?
The portfolio we produced on the history of Ralph Lauren’s RRL label comes to mind. We’ve started doing these deep dives into the labels that inspire us, and RRL kicked off the series. Mr. Lauren gave us access to his archive and let us inside his team’s creative process. If you told me we’d be able to produce something like that when we started, I’d have asked what you were smoking.

Who are your readers?
A man of the world would never say he’s a man of the world – but he knows one when he sees one. He’s a confident guy who has his head screwed on straight and appreciates quality and beauty in all its forms. He respects people with integrity and passion, and nurtures those qualities in himself. He’s inquisitive and curious about the world, but knows who he is and lives by his own rules. He cares about style more than fashion, but isn’t precious about it and doesn’t take himself too seriously.

Hardest story to get off the ground?
Probably the Dennis Hopper retrospective in issue #7. Not that it was hard to get off the ground, but it was heartbreaking to go through the archives of such a towering figure and edit down a lifetime of accomplishments. We gave it 24 pages but could have easily filled the entire issue.

What is a story you have yet to tell but would like to? Don’t get me started. Every time we do a story on someone, we meet 10 other guys who are doing their own thing and forging their own paths. It’s been unbelievably inspiring to see how much passion and creativity there is in this world. It makes me hopeful for the next generation.